Harry Potter and the Heir's Brandywine
by M.G.Erb
Summary: Harry Potter and the wizarding world face a threat more cunning and clever than before. All they know is that a mysterious substance always appears at each site. Will Harry be able to stop this threat before it destroys everything sacred in the wizarding world?
1. Chapter 1

Teddy Lupin couldn't believe he was going to marry Victoire Weasley in front of her entire family and his family. His grandmother, Andromeda, was still alive and very lively for a widow her age. Andromeda was determined to live long enough to raise and see the one sole member of her direct family marry. Teddy resembled his father very much in height and appearance, although he had his mother's ability to change colors of his eyes and hair. He had a love for adventure and yet was never graceful in his delivery. At Hogwarts, he was placed into Gryffindor, became a member of the UDA, and decided to follow the family tradition and became an Auror.

He lived with Dromeda until he graduated from Hogwarts. During the weekends he would visit his godfather Harry Potter, who was the father Teddy deserved but denied as a baby. In addition, all of the Potter children looked at Teddy as their eldest brother, which was fine with Teddy who loved having seven siblings and being treated like the eighth Potter.

Teddy was excited to see Victoire in general, after not seeing her for a good two weeks due to an Auror intensive session. Victoire Weasley was the mirror image of her mother Fleur: beautiful, elegant, and graceful. Victoire worked at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions as a sales clerk, but she had ambitious to start her own robe business. Teddy loved her ambition and courage, but the fact that she was that beautiful made him feel like the luckiest man in the world. In some ways, her grace complimented his clumsiness, and her calm demeanor matched his wild behavior.

On the other hand, his godmother Ginny and future mother-in-law Fleur constantly bickered about the wedding details. Dromeda made it clear she wanted to show up to see Teddy married, but at seventy five she didn't have the energy to plan the occasion, so Ginny stepped in. Fleur's slightly snobbish attitude and Ginny's stubbornness made for an interesting pairing.

"There should be red roses on de tables," said Fleur, when she and Ginny were at the flower shops. "It is more romantic."

"They are getting married in the summertime, red roses look dark compared to everything else that's available," said Ginny. "A mixed bouquet would be better."

"And look like peasants?" said Fleur in her strong French accent. Even after years of Bill teaching her English, Fleur's accent never went away. Luckily, their children never had this problem, although Molly Weasley frequently bragged to her friends that her grandchildren could speak both French and English fluently.

"It would like lovely," said Ginny. "Besides it's a family celebration, not a dating show."

"Speaking of which," said Fleur. "The guest list 'as increased."

"WHAT?" cried Ginny. "Fleur! Do you know how _big_ our side of the family is? It's not in the budget!"

"Love triumphs over money," said Fleur, waving her hand. Fleur never meant to sound like a snob, especially when she talked about Bill's success at Gringotts. Ginny knew she was kind, but Fleur struck a certain nerve with people, especially those outside of the Weasley family.

The wedding was at the Burrow, which was where Bill and Fleur's wedding was held during the Voldemort Reign. The Burrow was so pretty during the summer and Molly was very excited about having her first grandchild's wedding at the home and made all the necessary preparations for the event.

The wedding would be held on a Saturday, and the day before there would be a large dinner for the entire family. Molly and Arthur were still living in the Burrow. Victoire, Fleur, and the younger daughter Dominique arrived on Monday to help arrange the final details. Ginny arrived on Tuesday, after making Harry promised several times over and over again that he would not forget to pick up the four children getting off the Hogwarts Express, not to feed Hazel sweets all the time, and not to allow Colin to kick or pull Iris' hair. Bill and Louis, Fleur's husband and son, made it clear that they would arrive on Friday and not any earlier.

"Smart man," remarked Arthur, sipping his coffee as Molly reviewed the plan with him.

Andromeda and Teddy would come Thursday, along with some of the groomsmen and bridesmaids. All of the Weasley children and their families would arrive Friday at some time. Because many of the children were at Hogwarts and returning that Friday afternoon on the express so most of the family would show up on Friday evening for the dinner. Fleur's sister Gabrielle would arrive with her husband Etienne and sons Maurice and Bertand on Wednesday, with the rest of the Delacouer family.

"Again, smart choice," said Arthur.

"Come on, Arthur," said Molly, swatting him with a newspaper. "Be a little excited!"

"I am!" said Arthur. "But I'm older, darling, and I've got to watch the excitement so my heart doesn't give out!"

Molly rolled her eyes and kissed her husband on the head. Even though she has been to six plus weddings in her lifetime, the thought to two people spending the rest of their life together was the most rewarding risk anyone could take.

"Now if only Charlie would settle down…" she mused.

"Give it a rest, love," called Arthur, sipping his coffee.


	2. Chapter 2

James Potter sat in a car on the Hogwarts Express with his three friends. The other boy in the car, Nigel Walsh, was trying to calm his owl who clearly did not like trains or moving objects. Nigel was a short sixteen years old with a copper colored buzz cut. He was not very graceful or socially competent, but he had a wicked sense of humor that everyone enjoyed, especially James.

"I don't understand," said Nigel. "This is the third owl I've had and it still does not like trains!"

"It might not like you," said Tamsin Pyre. Tamsin had curly gold hair that shone in the sun. She was thin and lanky, almost like a spider, and her grey eyes added to her spooky appearance. Recently, Tamsin discovered her soothsaying talents after her constant migraines were diagnosis as "seeing spells". After several tests, she had developed the gift for seeing into the future. She had predicted her letter to Hogwarts when she was eight; her selection as Prefect for Ravenclaw; and her first kiss with a boy from Ravenclaw named Francis Cobb. Needless to say, other students made fun of her for this gift, however her friends were in awe of her talent.

"It has to like me!" said Ralph. "Owls are cheap and I'm not getting a rat."

"Rats are cheaper," said Tamsin. "In fact, I think the price is going down!" She held her hand up as though predicting the future.

"Oh, come off it!" said Nigel, tossing a Chocolate Frog wrapper at her. Tamsin threw it back at him.

Meggie Bennett, the fourth person, looked out the window and laughed at the two of them throwing the wrapper. She was the only person in the car with a pure Muggle status. Nigel's mum was a witch but married a Muggle, and even though she chose to give up his powers to marry her true love, her Muggle husband insisted on sending their son to Hogwarts since he was so unique from the other Muggle children. Tamsin was a pureblood, coming from a wealthy line of wizards who were rumoured to have been descendants of the Ravenclaw family. She lived in a castle called Weathering Hallows in the country surrounded by lush green forest and vines climbing everywhere.

Meggie was petite for her age. She had bouncy brown hair that came to her shoulders and big brown eyes. Tamsin often compared her to a doe and told her she was beautiful, yet Meggie never believed her. Even Nigel and James had to admit that Meggie was attractive.

"How many trees have you counted so far?" asked James, tossing the wrapper towards Meggie now.

Meggie frowned. "I can look out the window as I please."

"Of course you can," said James, grinning like a fool.

Meggie smiled at James. He always made her smile when he smiled since it was the biggest grin in the world.

"You excited about Teddy's wedding?" asked Meggie.

"You bet," said James. "Especially since I get to be a groomsman with Al."

"I'm just looking forward to sleeping in all day, watching the telly, and then going out on the town," said Nigel, stretching in the chair.

"That's pretty much what you do at Hogwarts."

"True, but this the last summer I can really enjoy it," said Nigel. James and Nigel decided that they will train for Auror positions next summer when they graduate from Hogwarts, so this we truly the last summer to enjoy freedom. However, Nigel had made the mood more somber with this fact about next summer being their last, and the group sat in silence.

"That's so weird to think that next summer, I've probably start working with Soothsayers. It feels like I just met you guys, especially this one," she said pointing to Meggie.

Tamsin and Meggie first met on the Hogwarts Express when they were starting their first year and since then they had been inseparable. James and Nigel met Meggie at the Gryffindor table, whereas Tamsin became a member of Ravenclaw. However, Meggie could never forget the kind witch who helped her, a Muggle, figure out the wizarding world. When Josiana Pompidoux teased Tamsin's strange appearance, Meggie hexed her by making Josiana's hair bright green. James and Nigel were impressed at the shy girl's skills. Soon, the two boys joined the girls for meals and homework, who often sat alone with each other. It became clear that James' charm, Nigel's humor, Meggie's kindness, and Tamsin's wit connected the four of them and made them a close group of friends. Teddy called them the "Four Elements," because neither could survive without the other. Students at Hogwarts envied their friendship.

"Just think, Tam-Tam," said Nigel. "A whole summer without me, how would you survive?"

"I think my health will be much better, Walshie," said Tamsin. "Because I won't have you to stress me out." James and Meggie smiled at the two; both had no siblings and developed a brother- sister relationship over the years. Though they teased each other, Ralph and Tamsin were the closest friends.

Suddenly, James' smile dropped and hid his head in his hand.

"Don't look," he said.


	3. Chapter 3

The three of them were confused, but when they heard the loud giggling they understood James' reaction. It was as though a large group of hens walked by although it wasn't too far off from the description. Josiana Pompidoux, Scarlet Nettles, and Marceline Thornbury walked pass the door, stopping in front of the car where the four friends sat.

"Well, well, well," said Josiana, opening the car door despite being clearly unwelcomed by the four. "If it isn't my former lover James Potter."

"Lover is a strong word," said James. "I'd say more like, your companion."

Josiana smiled hideously. Smiling never came easily to someone as vain and conceited as Josiana. Although she was incredibly beautiful with hair like wheat and violet eyes, she was not very nice at all. Her two friends, Scarlet and Marceline, were also at her side as though they were her bodyguards or henchmen. Scarlet had huge shoulders and deep burgundy hair, while Marceline was as small as a first year and had a bob cut.

"I figured you'd be here with the chubby one, the freak, and of course –"

"Don't even say it," said Tamsin, pointing her wand at Josiana's face.

"It's alright, Tamsin," said Meggie. "It won't make me any less of a witch."

Josiana smirked. "You never deserved to be a witch."

"Why, what a coincidence, I was going to say the same thing," said James.

Josiana then looked at James with the same ugly smile. "You know, James, I was trying to make up for the things that happen between us this year, just to be civil," said Josiana. "Although, there was a lot of over-reacting on your part."

"Josiana," said James, the smile disappearing. "You broke up with me, dated another bloke the day after we broke up, actually were seeing this bloke behind my back, then broke up with that bloke to snog some other bloke…quite frankly you are the rudest person I've ever met. I will be civil to you, I always have been, but if you were wondering: no, we are never getting back together."

Josiana looked at him with cold, dazed eyes and walked away with Scarlet and Marceline trailing her.

"God, why did you guys let me date her?" asked James when she was far away from the car.

"Good dinner conversation," shrugged Nigel.

"That's the biggest mistake of my life," said James, noticing Meggie smiling a bit and perking up since Josiana stopped by the car. In fact, it was the first time he noticed that reaction from Meggie.

Just then, Al came by the car and knocked on the door. The four of them smiled at this: Al was always welcomed to join them but he was too polite and considerate to walk in on the four of them. Al opened the door, but had trouble speaking since he was a bit shy. James waited patiently for his brother to say what he knew Al was going to say. When James was younger, he used to give Al a hard time about not speaking. However, after Al's bullying experience this year with Gryffindor, James was a little more patient and understanding towards his quieter brother. It made James angry to know that they were people who were supposedly courageous picking on kids like Al who would never hurt a fly. James was always protective of his siblings, especially his sisters, and he made Al promise to tell him when he was being bullied.

Al cleared his throat. "We should probably get to the first car to get off. Dad will be waiting for us there and we need to leave as soon as we get off."

"Alright, I'll be there in a second," said James. Al nodded and walked down the corrider with a few of his friends from Slughorn's Club. It just hit all of them that the frequency of people walking by was because the train was arriving at the platform.

"Even though this will be our last free summer, we'll see each other again, right?" said Tamsin, uncharacteristically melancholy.

"Of course!" chimed Meggie, surprising all of us. "I mean, this isn't forever. It's just a long pause."

James smiled and for some reason put his hand on her shoulder. Meggie blushed slightly when he did that. "Yeah," he said. "We'll see each other soon." Nigel and Tamsin looked at each other knowingly, as though waiting for a climactic moment.

"After the wedding," said James. "We should meet up…although I still have to pass my disapparation test." The three of them groaned. James had failed three times, because he was terrible at concentrating on a place to go when he disapparated because he knew of so many places to go with people who would welcome him.

"You have to pass that this summer, James Potter," said Meggie in a motherly tone. "No excuses."

James smiled and patted her hand. "Yes, Mum."

Meggie rolled her eyes. She was frequently referred to as the group mum and had a way of convincing people to do the right thing. James got up and pulled his things, slowly though because he wanted to enjoy the company.

"Hey Meggie, how about you come with me to the front of the train?" he said. "Mum will kill me and Dad if we're late, she already sent us a Howler about being on time."

Meggie perked up and smiled at the attention, then looked worried. "What about my things?" she asked.

"We'll bring them," said Nigel, understanding Tamsin's elbow nudge as a hint for something.

Meggie smiled. "Okay. But let me at least be useful and take something."

James handed her his owl Hildegard, a snowy owl like his father's owl Hedwig, and they both handed out.

"Well," he said. "Bye for now."

"We'll see each other soon, mate," said Nigel, getting up to give him a pat on the back.

"Tell me all about the wedding," said Tamsin, hugging James.

James looked at Meggie and nodded to go out. As they walked out together, the remaining two friends overheard their conversation despite the amount of people walking towards the front of the train and around the train to say good-byes to their friends. Meggie followed behind James carrying the owl, even though she insisted on carrying more. James refused, telling her the rest of the stuff weighed more than she did. Ralph and Tamsin just sat there smiling.


	4. Chapter 4

Around four thirty, the rest of the Weasley family arrived that afternoon around in flying cars. Apparation would have taken too much time and effort, so the easiest thing to do was drive to the Burrow in the cars Arthur Weasley had enchanted a long time ago as part of his constant tinkering with Muggle gadgets. Harry and Ron had Muggle licenses so they could drive from London to the Burrow in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, Cedric got car sick and was not able to change into clean clothes due to the tight proximity of the car. Some of the contents had also reached Lily's hair and Al's sleeve, so when the Potter children stumbled out of the car, Harry immediately cleaned his children before Ginny saw them, which unfortunately she did.

"Rough ride over mate?" asked Ron, getting out from the car behind Harry. Ginny made her infamous death stare at Ron.

"Just the usual," said Harry, who helped unload the car with James.

Ron's three children came out of the blue car Ron had used to save Harry from the Dursleys during their second year.

"Dad," said Rose, holding her baby sister Hattie. "You did bring the luggage for the wedding right?"

"Of course," said Ron, pretending to be a bit hurt. "Mum left it in the beaded bag."

"Don't worry about her Dad," said Hugo. "She keeps asking me if I remembered my homework when we're at school."

"Because you always forget," said Rose sternly.

Ron laughed at his two oldest children. Rose was every bit Hermione: no nonsense, rational, followed every rule, and had her nose in a book when she had the chance. Hugo was the spitting image of Ron: untidy, sarcastic, clumsy, and a bit lazy. Rose had curly hair that was a perfect blend of brown and red hair, as well as her mother's eyes. Hugo was almost as tall as Ron, had purely Weasley red hair, and unfortunately Hermione's buck teeth, which didn't bother Hugo really. The baby Hattie had brown and red hair although the red was a bit more predominant, and was a very easy baby. All three children were incredibly bright. Rose's O. were nothing but outstanding and Hugo's grades were better than Ron's studies even though Hugo had his father's habits of procrastination. Hattie was a curious child who loved to ramble in her own baby talk. They were without Hermione because she had her monthly department meeting at the Ministry which unfortunately was late in the day so Hermione would come shortly after dinner started.

Shortly after the first two cars arrived, Percy's wife Audrey arrived with their daughters, Molly and Lucy, in a more expensive looking taxi. Percy would come with Hermione after her meeting since he wanted to take care of some business before the wedding. Bill showed up after getting off early from work with the youngest child Louis, who was in his third year at Hogwarts. The middle child Dominique finished Hogwarts last year and was now a violinist in the world renown Orpheus Orchestra.

George and Angelina showed up with their two kids, Freddie and Roxanne. Angelina drove it because George didn't bother to apply for a Muggle license. Freddie was just like his namesake, and it was no surprise that he and his father were close. Freddie had finished Hogwarts last year as well, although Roxy was still there. Roxanne had an odd combination of her mother's jet black hair and George's bright red hair. .

Molly and Arthur were relieved that the Burrow was expanded for all of the family members. The six Weasley children were able to give funds to resupport the Burrow and add additions to the first three floors for the incoming flux of grandchildren. It seemed that the poverty the family had endured during those years provided the children with drive to work hard, earn decent fortunes for themselves, and repay their parents for their sacrifices and hard work.

After Molly and Arthur came out to greet everyone who had arrived, Molly made the men set a large, long table and chairs for everyone to eat outside. Victoire had helped her with a seating chart to organize the Weasley-Delacoeur clans. The Delacoeurs sat at one end with Fleur and Bill balancing the middle and the Weasleys at the other end. Andromeda sat next to Teddy, as she was the only living direct relative Teddy knew and could invite to the wedding.

"When is Hermione getting here, Ronald?" asked Molly, as she was about to go sit.

"In five minutes. When she says she's coming at a time, she comes at that time."

"Good," smiled Molly. "It wouldn't be the same without her." Ron smiled and kissed his mother on the head, knowing that Hermione was Molly's favorite daughter-in-law.

Once everyone got seated, Arthur stood up again and raised his glass.

"A toast!" he cried, and everyone raised their glasses. "To the happy couple, Teddy and Victoire!"

"To Teddy and Victoire!" said everyone, except the couple, sitting at the very end of the table. Instead, they kissed softly, which provoked some awes from the girls and "ews" from Colin, Cedric, and Iris.


	5. Chapter 5

At six o'clock, everyone looked up and saw Hermione, still in her Ministry outfit, walking towards the crowd. Ron got up to greet his wife and kissed her on the cheek, once again generating the same reaction from Teddy and Victoire's kiss. Nobody made a commotion when Percy apparated behind Hermione. He was also still dressed in his work robes and walked self-importantly towards the table. Although the family had forgiven him for his decisions during the Voldemort Reign, Percy still had pompous attitude towards everything, even if it was dimmed down a bit. That attitude resonated with Audrey, who was a pureblood wizard and felt everything was beneath the ground, and his daughters, whom Iris called "Little Snots".

"Sorry we're late, everyone," said Percy. "Congratulations, Victoire and Teddy!"

"Thank you, Uncle Percy," said Victoire.

"How was the Ministry?" asked Ron, pulling out Hermione's chair for her.

"Just the usual meetings," she said, sitting down in between Rose and Hugo. "But I'm not going to bore with details."

"Nothing in the Ministry is boring," said Audrey, overhearing her. "Obviously, you don't value your job like Percy does." There a great amount of tension between Audrey and Hermione, mainly because Audrey was uncomfortable with Hermione's Muggle status in another other pureblood family. In addition, Audrey felt Hermione threatened Percy's chance at his candidancy for the Minister of Magic.

"Now, Audrey," said Percy. "Hermione's one of the hardest working people in her department, maybe even the whole Ministry, but I'd agree to think that a wedding is far more exciting." Hermione smiled at Percy and him winked at her. Audrey pouted her lip, a sign that she was not amused, and went back to talking to Fleur, the only person in the family that liked Audrey.

When the meal was over, Molly enlisted the help of the girls and daughters-in-laws to clean up the mess, while The Weasley sons and grandsons removed the chairs and tables. Andromeda decided to stay in the kitchen and have a cup of tea, after getting tired from socializing with all of the people. Teddy and Victoire set up an impromptu Quidditch match.

One team had James, Cedric, Louis, George, and Ron while the other team had Teddy, Harry, Hugo, Colin and Freddie. Arthur went back into the house to sit with Molly and the girls who were in the kitchen drinking tea after cleaning the dishes. Al was the referee alongside Victoire, since they both knew the rules very well.

Meanwhile, the Delacoeur family sat near the house outside talking to Fleur, Bill, and Dominique. Fleur's side remained together the whole time since they were not really comfortable with the Weasley's chaotic lifestyle. This was fine with the Weasleys since they did not feel welcomed by the family's haughty behavior, although Gabrielle was very sweet to the clan, especially since Ron and Harry saved her life when she was eleven.

Iris had to sit with her Molly and Lucy because her mum had told her to socialize with the two of them. In addition, Iris had to watch Hazel and Hattie to make sure they didn't run off into the field. That part she didn't mind because Hazel and Hattie could keep each other company. It was interacting with Molly and Lucy that bothered her. Iris was secretly glad Molly was in Hufflepuff and not Gryffindor because Iris couldn't stand her rude and prissy cousin. Iris knew that none of Molly's friends liked her, but they wanted to be with the girl whose father was going to run for Minister of Magic and who had a lot of money.

Molly's real name was Mary Louise, however only Audrey called her Mary Louise, everyone else called her Molly. Lucy's real name was Lucinda, again Audrey insisted on calling her Lucinda not Lucy. Both sisters talked about their dresses for the wedding tomorrow, while Iris focused on the Quidditch match. The con to being a first year Hogwarts student was the limitations on what first years could do at school.

"I have a pretty dress to wear tomorrow," said Molly. "It'll be the prettiest dress at the wedding."

"Me too," said Lucy. "It's yellow."

"Good for you," said Iris, watching the Quidditch game. Iris was not allowed on the broom after she raced a boy from Slytherin after they had a minor quarrel. The boy fell off the broom trying to keep up with Iris, who was incredibly fast on a school broom. Iris was not one to back away from a fight which was a problem because she was a frequent visitor to Neville Longbottom's office, who was in charge of the Gryffindor students.

"Mummy says that a girl's dress is important because it says everything about her character," said Molly. Iris wanted to slap Molly so her pristine auburn hair would actually be out of place for once.

"Me too," said Lucy. Lucy wasn't too bad; she just copied everything Molly said or did. Lucy was the spitting image of Molly, with the long auburn hair, dark brown eyes, and thin little eyebrows. She wasn't as mean or rude as Molly, but she acted like Molly's puppet and shadow.

"My mum says that clothes don't make a person, a person makes clothes," said Iris.

Molly pouted like her mother. "Well, you're clothes are ugly, so you're ugly!"

"Is that the best you can do, you little snotfaced snitch?" asked Iris, towering over Molly.

Luckily for Molly, Rose and Lily came outside so Iris couldn't punch or kick her. Roxanne trailed behind, although she headed towards the Quidditch match. Like Angelina, Roxanne loved Quidditch and was already a star player for Gryffindor as a fourth year. Roxy clearly didn't care if it was just the male relatives playing, she decided to sit on the bench and wait for someone to get tired.

"Molly, Lucy, you're mother wants you two to meet Aunt Fleur's family," said Lily. Both girls got up and ran over to the Delacouer cluster where Audrey showed off her perfect daughters.

"Thanks, Lill," said Iris. "I thought I was going to have to make her quiet."

"You can't always hit people, Iris," said Lily. "Violence isn't the answer. One of these days you're going to have to know your limits."

"But sometimes saying things isn't enough," said Iris. "Then you have to make them eat dirt."

"Don't say things like that in front of Mum," said Lily. "You've been listening to James too much."

Rose laughed. "Mum's always telling Dad and Hugo that swearing isn't the answer, since she's afraid Hattie's going to learn those words."

"Yeah," said Iris, clearly focusing on the Quidditch match. If only she was a few centimeters taller and allowed to ride her broom again, then she could be a star player like James or Roxy.

Lily sensed this and nudged Iris' shoulder. "Go."

Iris looked confused. "What?"

"Go play!" said Lily.

"But Mum and Dad said…"

"I'm sure it'll be fine as long as you're on Dad's team. Plus, Rose and I can watch Hazel and Hattie." Iris smiled immediately and ran over to the game and joined Roxy on the bench. Rose and Lily sat on the green field and watched.

"I never understood the fascination with Quidditch," said Rose. "It's just people riding around on broomsticks white getting hit." It was such a Rose thing to say, especially since Rose preferred reading over anything.

"I don't know, I didn't get the Quidditch gene either," said Lily. "Neither did Al, but Iris really wants to play and I knew Colin follows the Chudley Cannons like crazy." Ron's favorite team had had a resurgence of victory, which bode well for Ron who had invested quite a lot in Chudley Cannons merchandise. Soon, Ron had his nieces and nephews, as well as his own children, interested in the Cannons, although Ginny tried to persuade at least her children to support the Holyhead Harpies.

"How long do you think they'll play?" asked Rose. "I might conjure a book if it'll take a while."

"Don't forget we have to watch Hattie and Hazel," said Lily.


	6. Chapter 6

At that moment though, a large gust of wind blew everyone off the brooms. Rose and Lily tried to grab the two youngest members of the family, but they were knocked to their feet as well. Molly, Arthur, and the rest of the people who were helping with the house ran outside to see the commotion.

Just then, a large dragon with olive scales and bright red claws landed on the wheat field. The dragon was then place into a large hole towards somewhere, and all was still again. Then, a red headed man with a large dragon tooth earring walked out from the field. It was Charlie.

"Uncle Charlie!" cried Cedric and Colin, running over to their favorite uncle. Cedric had a fascination with dragons while his brother admired Charlie's rebellious spirit, which worried Ginny.

"Hello twins!" said Charlie as he greeted the twins. "Where by chance is the lovely bride?"

"Hello, Uncle Charlie!" said Victoire, giving her godfather a big hug.

Of course, while the grandchildren loved the dragon, Fleur's family was not accustomed to Charlie's wild antics and entrances, and they all ran into the house when the saw the dragon in the field. All the Weasleys had gathered around Charlie. While his brothers were impressed with the entrances, Charlie's sister and sister-in-laws were

"Really, Charlie?" asked Fleur, walking over to him after calming down her family. "A dragon?"

"What can I say?" smiled Charlie. "I like to make big entrances."

"But was that necessary, Charlie?" asked Molly, agreeing with her Fleur. She loved her second son but Charlie had had a knack for making Molly's life a bit difficult.

"Everyone's fine," said Charlie, as he waved towards Audrey, who was staying away from her outrageous brother-in-law. "Even the babies were unharmed."

"I'm not a baby," said Hazel, walking over to her uncle. "I start kindergarten next term."

"This is true, which makes you a big girl," said Charlie, tossing Hazel in the air. The big girl screamed with delight, making her siblings and father laughed.

"Meanwhile, this baby fell back on her bum and started to cry," said Rose, walking over and holding Hattie, whose lips were pouting.

"What's this?" asked Ron, kissing Hattie on the cheek. "Did we have a little fall?"

"Well, while everyone is gathering around me," said Charlie, after greeting everyone. "I must give my wedding gift a little early."

"Oh, come on Charlie," said Teddy. "We're not in any rush to see the gifts."

"That's gracious of you Teddy, but trust me, this is a gift I need to give early because it's hungry."

Teddy and Victoire looked confused, even though they were used to Charlie's strange behavior. Charlie had chosen not to marry, nor to have a steady girlfriend due to his nomadic lifestyle studying dragons. Nevertheless, he was happy to be a bachelor much to Molly's dismay.

Charlie whistled and the wheat in the field began to move again. A snout poked out of the stalks, with two bright blue eyes and long eyelashes. It was dragon, about the size of a border collie. She had dark blue scales and gray claws, but what really made her distinct was the silver heart-shape scar above her temple.

"She's beautiful," said Victoire.

"She's yours," said Charlie. The young couple looked incredulously at him.

"What?" asked Teddy.

"Well, I figured since you were traveling constantly as an Auror and Victoire is going to be home alone by herself, having a guard would protect not just Victoire but also both of you. This is my gift to you." "Lucky," whispered Colin and Cedric.

In no time, Victoire and Teddy ran over to the dragon like small children at a carnival. Teddy's hair changed into blue like the dragon's body, a habit he was trying to avoid doing in front of the Delacouer family. There was quite a bit of noise from the exclamations of Molly Weasley and Fleur's dismay over the wedding gift, the in-laws dismay at Teddy's hair and the excitement between the children at seeing a small dragon.

Arthur Weasley snuck back into the house to join Andromeda for a cup of tea. After walking past the confused Delacouer clan, Arthur made his way into the kitchen. He poured himself a cup and stared at the commotion going on outside, laughing to himself. Even Dromeda was enjoying watching a sea of red head fuss over the small blue creature.

"Enjoying yourselves?" asked Ron, holding a now sleeping Hattie and walking towards the house.

"If I could, I would ride that dragon," said Andromeda, chuckling to herself.

"It's like old times again," Arthur replied, sipping his tea.


	7. Chapter 7

The ceremony was at five o'clock, which gave plenty of time for people to get ready and set up the party. The men occupied the bottom and first floor of the Burrow, while the women were on the third and fourth floors. After breakfast, last minute adjustments were made on the table bonquets, the ribbons for the benches, and the lanterns hung around the outside. Molly refused to have the event catered despite Ginny and Fleur's protests and was preparing part of the wedding reception feast while the men were putting up the tents, unfolding chairs and tables, and going to the store to buy last minute victuals. The only ones who did not stay at the Burrow were the Delacouers and Percy's family, who insisted on staying in a hotel in Ottery St. Catchpole called the Lettuce-Sty Inn, a lovely hotel by the bay. None of those families would arrive until four o'clock.

After a quick lunch, it was time to get ready for the wedding. Victoire and Teddy decided on deep purple and sage green for their color scheme. Teddy had a deep purple velvet jacket with a sage green silk vest. The best men had the same color jacket and vest, except Teddy had a handkerchief that belonged to his father in his coat pocket. Victoire wore her mother's wedding dress, however she had added ivy leaves to her train and a deep purple sash. The bridesmaids' strapless dresses were a deep cream color with the purple sash.

"Are you nervous, Victoire?" asked Lily, who getting her hair done by her Ginny while Dominique helped Victoire.

"_Mais non_," said Victoire, which was an obvious "yes" since Victoire only spoke French when she was nervous.

"Rose, hold Hattie please while I do her hair," said Hermione, who had applied the straightening potion to her hair now to control her normally bushy hair.

"Mum I'm still trying to straighten my hair!" said Rose, who had inherited Hermione's curly hair.

"Has anyone seen a pink comb?" asked one of the bridesmaids.

"Are these my curlers?"

"_Mon Dieu!" _

It was pure chaos with girls losing combs, little ones fidgeting, and the older women trying to help achieve the younger crowd's vision.

Meanwhile, the men were enjoying themselves downstairs drinking a few shots of Firewhiskey and telling stories about their wedding days, while Teddy was rubbing a potion on his hair to keep from changing color during the ceremony.

"I remember Angelina crying because her feet couldn't fit into her shoes," said George. "Then again, she was pregnant with Roxanne at the time so it wasn't exactly the right moment."

"I still can't believe Mum let you get away with knocking up Angelina then getting married three years after Freddie was born," said Ron. "If that was me or Percy or Bill, we would have been castrated."

"If I recall, you tripped on Hermione's gown during your first dance," said George.

"It was a long train!" protested Ron.

Harry laughed along with all the other men in the room at poor Ron, whose ears had turned red from embarrassment. As Harry looked over towards Teddy, he saw his godson looking at his father's handkerchief and got up.

"C'mon," said Harry. "Why don't you and I walk a bit?"

Teddy smiled and got up, still holding his handkerchief. Both men left the room and stood in the hallway for a bit before Harry decided to sit on a bench looking out towards the front yard of the Burrow. Teddy sat down and sighed, relieved to have a bit of peace and quiet.

"Harry," said Teddy. "What…what was my dad like?"

"Very brave," said Harry. "He taught me that fear is the only thing that scares us. Your mum was very much like you in personality; very stubborn but also full of joy."

"What was their wedding like?" asked Teddy.

"Well, they didn't really have an extensive wedding…it was more of an elopement I guess, since it was during the Voldemort Reign. They realized that they had very little time and could lose each other in a heartbeat, so they got married."

"Oh," said Teddy. Although Andromeda told Teddy plenty about his parents, there were still some parts of their lives that remained unsaid or unknown. Teddy was born during a time of secrecy and exile, so he had to rely on word of mouth to know his parents' life. Harry was the closest he had to a parent, even though Harry was young when he became a godparent, much like how Victoire was only seventeen when she became Hazel's godmother.

"Do you think they would like Victoire?" asked Teddy.

"Absolutely," said Harry. "I think they would have adored her."

Teddy laughed nervously. Normally when Teddy felt some emotion he changed hair color, however the potion was working well and his hair remind a light brown color.

"What if I screw this up?" asked Teddy. "I mean, you and Ginny have been my parents for the past twenty three years, but I've never actually had parents to go by, you know?"

Harry knew well enough. After growing up in a household without love or imagination, Harry had never imagined families to be full of fun and happiness. Then he met the Weasleys and it was the first time he ever been in a household full of laughter and warmth. Over the years, he gained a sister from Hermione who was also an only child like Harry. He had Sirius as a godfather for a short time, but even in that short time Sirius gave him more care and comfort than the seventeen years he lived at Privet Drive. Harry still had doubts about family life while he dated Ginny, but it was her than gave him the extra nudge to propose and marry her.

"Marriage is a fifty-fifty deal," said Harry. "You may not know certain things, but Victoire may know them. And if she doesn't know certain things, then you'll help her with that too. You and Victoire have known each other since you were toddlers, and even then we all knew you two would marry each other."

Teddy chuckled. "Yeah, I was kind of bummed with she went to Beauxbatons instead of Hogwarts, because I had always imagined her and I in Gryffindor together."

"See? That was a compromise Bill and Fleur had to make. If they had girls, they would go to Beauxbatons, and if they had boys they would go to Hogwarts."

"Honestly Harry, I just want the bloody ceremony and party to be over."

Both men got up and patted each other on the back. They were ready for the wedding.


	8. Chapter 8

A few minutes before five, both bridal and groom parties organized themselves to walk down the aisle. A long purple strip of fabric had been placed on the ground that lead to the podium where the couple would recite their vows and exchange bands. There were garlands of light green ivy adorning the perimeter, yellow lanterns floating in the air, and bunches of wildflowers placed around the podium.

Hazel Potter, who was one of the flower girls, peered outside the tent where the bride's party waited to walk down the aisle. She saw her father and mother in the front with Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. She tried to make out the rest of her uncles but all the red hair threw her off. She smoothed her cream colored dress and adjusted the ivy wreath in her hair, which was actually quite itchy. She turned her attention to her Aunt Fleur as she was about to put the veil on Victoire's head.

"Can I do it?" asked Hazel, as she ran over and pulled on her aunt's gown.

"Do what, Hazel?" asked Fleur, confused and worrying her dress had been stretched.

"Put the veil on Victoire," said Hazel. Because she was the second youngest in the family, Hazel sometimes felt very left out of certain things, like going to school or playing Quidditch. All day long she had to sit and be patient while Ginny curled her hair and buttoned her dress. Now Hazel wanted to feel like those big girls and do something special. Hazel understood that a veil was important for a bride on her wedding day, because it meant that Teddy couldn't really see her until she was standing right in front of him. Besides that, Hazel loved thought her godmother Victoire was the sun, moon, and stars.

Victoire wanted her goddaughter to feel special on this day and kneeled so she was at Hazel's height. Although she wasn't really sure about this, Fleur gave the veil to Hazel. The little girl gingerly placed the band on her head, standing almost on her tiptoes despite Victoire's attempt at being on the same level. Once Hazel was able to get the veil to stay still, Victoire stood up and let Fleur pinned it in.

"You look beautiful," smiled Hazel.

"_Merci, papillon," _said Victoire, calling Hazel by her petname and kissing her cheek.

"We're ready to start," said Molly, opening the tent's flap. "Everyone's- oh Victoire! You look stunning!" Before Victoire could say thank you, Molly hugged her granddaughter and began to cry. Ginny, who was also helping with the procession, walked in and cringed when she saw the spectacle of her mother crying on Victoire's shoulder.

"Come on, Mum," said Ginny, pulling Molly away from the bride. "We have to start…everybody get in line, by order. Lily and Iris, you're first, then James and Al, then Jeanine and Chantal, then Horace and Lester…oh, and Louis!"

Meanwhile in the groom's tent, James was playing a quick game of double chess with Cedric against Al and Colin. All four of the boys were in Teddy's party in addition to some of Teddy's chaps from Hogwarts. The boys were talking about the Beauxbatons grads that were in Victoire's wedding party, while Teddy kept pacing back and forth.

"Come off it, Ted," said James, walking over to his cousin. "You know she wants to surprise you."

"Oh, I'm not nervous about the ceremony anymore," said Teddy, grinning. "Your dad and I had a little chat about marriage."

"Oh god, don't tell me till I'm older," said James, covering his ears.

"It'll be a surprise," said Teddy. "But I've got another thing I'm concerned about and…wait a second, here it is!" Teddy's owl Pericles flew into the tent to deliver a note, and though James couldn't decipher the message he recognized the handwriting. Teddy read the note and just grinned like a fool at James.

"What?" asked James.

"Oh nothing, it'll be a surprise."

"Alright, gentlemen," said Bill, entering the tent with Louis. "Places."

"James, c'mon," said Al, standing up as Ginny motioned for the boys to line up.


	9. Chapter 9

The music was provided by Dominique's bandmates who were able to play for the ceremony in return for a free meal at the reception. First down the aisle were Lily and Iris, then James and Al, followed by four bridesmaids and groomsmen, all friends of Victoire and Teddy. Dominique and Louis walked down together followed by Fleur and Andromeda, the mother and grandmother of the couple. The twins acted as ring bearers, which was difficult for both of them since Cedric was prone to being clumsy and Colin had a hard time walking slowly.

Finally, Hazel and Hattie acted as flower girls with Ron being recruited to make sure Hattie didn't run off. Unfortunately, Hattie didn't want to throw any of her flowers and when Hazel reached into Hattie's basket to spread flowers on the fabric, Hattie threw her basket and began to have a meltdown. Never the master at handling temper tantrums, Ron quickly picked up Hattie and froze at what to do next. Without really thinking, Ron took Hattie's basket and began to throw the flowers with Hazel down the rest of the aisle. Everyone laughed including Hermione, who was chuckling softly to herself, and when Ron reached his seat with Hattie he had his infamous case of bright red ears.

Finally, the moment came for Bill and Victoire to walk down the aisle. Teddy was so grateful to have had that hair potion today because his air would have alternated between the white of the dress, the green of the train, the yellow and purple flowers, and of course Victoire's strawberry blonde hair. It was the first time that Bill's siblings noticed Bill swelling with pride, especially since he was a generally mild-mannered and controlled man.

The ceremony continued without a problem, despite the sobbing of Molly, Fleur, Fleur's mother, and Ginny resonating in the rather spacious tent. Much to everyone's surprise, Teddy recited his vows in French with Louis to translate what he was saying, which made Victoire cry because she had been teaching him French ever since she was a little girl. Victoire's vows were lovely as well, only this time she recited them in English while Dominique recited the vows in French for the Delacouers, who had very little English vocabulary. The biggest surprise happened once they kissed for the first time as husband and wife. Suddenly, fireworks went off, which took everyone by surprise.

Colin, Cedric, Iris, and Hazel ran from the altar to the outside to watch the spectacle, followed by other Weasley grandchildren and the Weasley children as well. George smiled at Victoire and Teddy, who also ran outside to see a mixture of red and orange sparks form the words "Just Married" in the sky. Even the Delacouer clan clapped their hands in delight at seeing the fireworks.

"Well, now that we're all out here," said Teddy, holding his wife's hand. "Let's celebrate!"

"More fireworks!" screamed Colin and Hazel.

"How about some food?" asked Hugo.

"Is that all you think about?" asked Rose, slapping the back of his head.

"Well, I'm hungry!" protested Hugo.

"Right this way, loves!" said Molly, herding her grandchildren towards the second largest tent that had tables and chairs set up for the guests. The tables had lavender tablecloths and bouquets of flowers similar to Victoire's bundle she had for the ceremony. There was champagne flowing like a water fountain; lots of fine cheeses and pies and sweets; good smells from the roasts and stews permeated the air. The band played lively music, the lanterns floated in the air like hot air balloons, and everyone was in good cheer.


	10. Chapter 10

Harry and Ginny sat with Andromeda and their children at one of the largest circle tables. Also at their table was Dedalus Diggle, one of the oldest surviving members of the Order of the Phoenix; Minerva McGonagall, the headmistress at Hogwarts; Neville Longbottom, the Herbology professor and head of Gryffindor; and Luna Lovegoode-Scamander, now a naturalist after the Quibbler went bankrupt.

"They make a lovely couple," said Luna, sipping her champagne.

"We know they were going to get married when they were younger," said Ginny, feeling a bit of the effects of the fine alcoholic beverage.

"Yeah," said Harry, replaced the champagne in his wife's cup with water. "Even when Victoire attended Beauxbatons, they always saw each other during holidays."

"Well, it wasn't like the school was deprived of Weasleys," said McGonagall.

"He reminds me so much of Nymphadora, Andromeda," said Diggle talking to Dromeda. Diggle was about a decade or so older than Dromeda, and was a friend of Dumbledore, McGonagall, and the older members of the Order. He was a lanky man with a nose shaped like a hook and a few tufts of grayish chocolate hair. Like Charlie, Diggle preferred to remain a bachelor since his life as a bounty hunter was risky and nomadic.

"He's just as clumsy as his mother," giggled Dromeda as Teddy tripped over Victoire's train while dancing a jig with her. Luckily, Dominique signaled the band to end the song so Teddy could regain his composure.

"Thanks for the potion Al," said Teddy, walking over to the Potters' table. "My hair would probably be red as a beet."

"Well, beets are actually purple…" said Cedric quietly.

"Red, purple…still embarrassing," said Teddy, ruffling Cedric's ginger hair.

"A little burst of color wouldn't hurt," said James.

"Except red would totally clash with the rest of the décor," said Lily. Iris rolled her eyes.

Al wasn't paying attention to the conversation. Instead, he was watching the sparklers being set off outside by George and Angelina. A crowd of nieces and nephews were watching them in addition to Ron, Charlie, and a few of the groomsmen and bridesmaids.

"C'mon, Al!" said Hazel, pulling his hand. "Let's go watch the fireworks!"

"Uh…ok," said Al, following Hazel.

"We're coming too!" said Colin, pulling Cedric away from his slice of cake.

"Wait for me!" said Iris.

Al wasn't really watching his younger siblings or interacting with his relatives and guests. Instead, he watched the colors of the red and orange sparklers turn pale as they burst and illuminated the sky. Al could practically see beyond the field….beyond the field…something was there. He could see some other sparklers being set off that turned from blue to red to orange. A sinking feeling clenched Al's stomach and a sudden burst of a particular memory clicked in his mind. He remembered shopping at Uncle George's for a set of fireworks, but where did he put them? A man in a pale mask outside of the Shrieking Shack…or was it Room of Requirement? It made him feel disoriented and sick that at fifteen he couldn't remember simple things like this.

_Think Al, Think!_

The man in the pale mask…what did he say?

"Remember…your family…life…death…" Al tried to string together coherent sentences. Words like _heir, experiment, surprise_...

"Hmm," said George watching the sky. "Those aren't supposed to be blue. Did you change them Ange?" Angelina shook her head. "Guess I added too much of something to the mixture."

"It kind of looks like a bird of some sort," said Angelina.

Then it hit Al.

"GET DOWN!" he cried, pulling out his wand.

At first, people were confused until a large bird appeared from the field and came towards the tent.

"PROTEGO!" shouted Al, producing a shield that prevented the swooping flame from entering the tent. The shock from the sparks against the shield shook the ground and flames bounced off the shield onto the ground.

"Go, get out!" said Ron, pulling out his wand. "Harry!"

Harry ran out with Teddy and Neville amidst the chaos in the tent, also holding their wands. George and Angelina stayed as well as Al and Hugo tried to get the younger kids away from the chaos. For a while, it was still and quiet, and George mumbled something about a faulty firework, but Al knew better.

The flames began to pop, spitting out more blue sparks and flames, causing a sea of smoke to form.

Harry moved his wand to produce a large gust of wind, which helped him see what was happening in the sky. About three or four black robes whizzed by on brooms, throwing bombs down and setting off more fires around the party.

"Protego!" cried Harry, producing a large shield, as the bombs fell. "Al, get to the Burrow with the lot! Now!"

Al didn't hear his father. He and Hugo began to attempt at stunning the men on the brooms flying above. Harry thought he heard Ginny yelling and drop his guard, which allowed some of the bombs to land on people. Two of the people hurt with Angelina and Teddy, who both had bloody arms.

"George, get to St. Mungo's with Angelina and take Teddy too!"

"I'm find, Harry," said Teddy. "Take Angelina, George!"

George, looking scared at his wife who was howling in pain at her almost non existant arm apparated out of the Burrow.

"Where's Victoire?" asked Teddy.

"Hermione!" cried Ron, running back to the tent.

Harry saw Ginny running towards the outside with Lily when he heard a small voice cry out: "Protego!" Harry saw Iris forming a shield around her younger siblings. At first, Harry wondered where she got her wand but that escaped when he yelled at her to get into the Burrow.

"Hermione's disapparated with Hattie back into the house," said Ginny, then yelling at Iris: "Get to the cellar, now!"

"Dad!" cried James, stunning a bomb falling towards Harry's head with a motion delaying charm.

"We're staying Mum!" cried Lily, taking her wand.

"Stay together!" said Ginny, as Lily and James battled the falling bombs. Then Ginny turned towards her husband and grabbed his hand. "Together," she said to him.

"Together," he said, as they tried to stun the men on the brooms.


	11. Chapter 11

Fleur's family, not much of fighters, had disapparated away from the Burrow. Percy also had Audrey and his daughters disappear from the tent but stayed behind. One groomsman and two bridesmaids' arms and legs split apart like an axe cutting wood and the three cried in agony. Percy and Dominique apparated them to St. Mungo's immediately. Molly and Arthur disapparated back to the house to activate a shield to protect those inside the house. Andromeda, McGonagall, and Diggle used a very advanced splicing spell to cut the bombs before exploding. Teddy tried to fight with his slightly less damaged arm, however the pain grew too much and he collapse to the ground from the pain and loss of blood. Victoire screamed and Louis ran to protect his sister from the sparks and flames.

"_Mon Dieu_," said Fleur, fighting alongside Bill.

"Bloody hell, not again! Not my daughter's bloody wedding, you sick prats!" cried Bill, aiming towards the brooms.

"Where are they?" asked Hugo, who was still fighting with Al outside.

"It's like they're invisible or something!" cried Freddie, who had just realized his parents' absence and tried to find his sister among the debris. "Where's Roxy? Roxy!"

Another bolt of information hit Al. _We shall reproduce…_

"Stupefy!" cried Lily as a bomb narrowly missed Al.

"These bombs are enchanted!" said Rose. "If you use a spell on them then they won't explode!"

"Thanks, Egghead!" said Hugo, more concerned about putting out the flames surround him and Al. "Now fight for your bloody life!"

"Nice little souvenirs, don't you think?" asked Luna, as she and Neville put out the flames with water.

"Um…I suppose…" said Neville, wondering what was going on.

Just then, a group of three figures appeared out of nowhere. Harry was about to stun them when he heard a familiar female voice.

"Mr. Potter!"

"Meggie?" asked Harry.

"We thought you'd need some assistance," said Tamsin, as she casted a shield charm.

"Bloody hell!" cried Nigel, shooting some water at a falling spark.

"Our towns were attacked!" said Meggie, running over to Ginny and Harry. "Tamsin saw the wedding in a vision not long ago today!"

"I wasn't sure until – stupefy!- the Muggles around the castle had their homes destroyed, then I apparated to Meggie's home and now we're here!" said Tamsin as she ran over towards Luna who had fallen from the bomb's shockwaves.

"She forgot me! Unbelievable!" said Nigel.

"Meggie! Nigel!" cried James. "Where's Tam?"

"With Professor Longbottom and Loony!" said Nigel, running towards his best mate. "We're here to help!" James couldn't help but look at Meggie as she stunned the bombs and put out the flames. Then he remembered the agony of Angelina, Teddy, and those guests…what if that was her.

"James!" cried Nigel.

"What?"

"Oh I don't know…bombs!"

Meggie caught up and for some reason James gave her a big hug, which Meggie gladly reciprocated.

"C'mon, James!" she said, running to the back of the tent. "The flames are growing!"

From the town of Ottery St. Catchpole, one could see a blue flame from where the Burrow stood. The tent, lanterns, and tables were scorched, people were bruised and burned, and questions were raised and unanswered. Next to Bill and Fleur's wedding, this was the most eventful and unwelcomed surprise.


	12. Chapter 12

Molly poured tea for Ron and Harry. Both men had large circles under their eyes and a few cuts and bruises from the bombings. The Delacouers apparate back to France, and Victoire took Teddy to St. Mungo's with Fleur, Andromeda, and Louis. Ron had the unfortunate task at telling Freddie and Roxanne that their mum had been admitted to St. Mungo's, but spared them the details of Angelina's partially non-existent limb. Ginny had a large lump on her forehead and Charlie's ear had been slightly scorched due to his earring catching a spark. After hearing Tamsin's story about her vision, Neville and Luna had to go back to check their families and McGonagall went back to Hogwarts to check the castle. Only Diggle stayed behind because he was lodging somewhere in Ottery but decided his services were needed to protect the family.

Areas around the house were scorched. Some of the windows' glass broke due to the intense heat, and the ground smelled of charred debris only made worse by the water spells used to stop the flames.

"What the bloody hell was that?" asked Ron, sipping his tea.

Harry shook his head. "I don't know, mate."

"Who were they?" asked Ron.

Harry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Ron looked at his mother. She looked tired and worn from protecting her family that night.

"Go to bed, mum," said Ron, turning back at Molly who was puttering in the kitchen.

"Ronald…" said Molly, as though he was thirteen.

"Please, mum. Get some rest," Ron pleaded.

Molly sighed and kissed him on the forehead, then kissed Harry.

"If you need anything…" she said.

"Good night, mum," said Ron, as Molly walked up the stairs.

They looked at the time: two in the morning. The attack started around seven thirty and lasted for two hours. That meant for two straight hours, bombs fell from the sky and it took another three hours to disarm the stunned bombs. Rose had pointed out the fact that even though they had stunned the bombs, they were still active. Freddie, who had been taught how to make an explosive by his father, went around and showed people how to deactivate the bombs. After the clean-up, Harry and Ron reminded outside to look for any clues regarding the attackers, but found nothing.

"What do we do now?" asked Ron.

"We wait until morning," said Harry, after thinking deeply. "Then we head to the Auror Department and get Seamus to look at the bombs."

Ron nodded. "Guess we should sleep," he said. Harry nodded, but he knew that it would take them both a while to fall asleep. Battles never really made them tired, just emotionally and mentally drained.

"Dad?"

Both men looked up.

Iris stood at the top of the stairs, wearing her Harpies nightshirt. She was supposed to be in a room with Lucy, the other Molly, Hazel, and Hattie. Her left eye was swollen and dark from getting elbowed by one of the guests when she was escaping to the Burrow, yet that hadn't stopped her. Harry smiled at his middle daughter, who protected her younger siblings with everything she had in her barely worn wand. In that moment, Iris proved why she was a Gryffindor.

"You okay?" he asked.

She nodded no.

"Can I sit with you?" she asked, uncharacteristically meekly.

"Sure, sweetheart," he said, and sensing her apprehension Harry opened his arm to hold her. Iris wasn't much of a cuddler, not like Lily or Hazel. Yet she seemed scared, which was unusual for Iris. She wasn't afraid of anything: she slept through thunderstorms, petted large spiders, and even rode a dragon when she was five. Iris rubbed her head into Harry's shoulders and began to cry.

"What's wrong?" Harry said, putting down his tea and tightly hugging her.

"Today…I…I…" she sobbed, trying to speak. "Never felt…so…scared."

Iris looked into Harry's eyes, and he saw her deep grey eyes fill with tears.

"I almost saw you die today! And Mum! And…well, everyone! What if they all died and I was all alone?" She buried her head again in his shoulder and heavily sobbed. He looked over and saw Ron giving him a sympathetic look.

"Iris," said Harry, rubbing her back. "I promise you, I will not die. When I fight these bad people, I want to live and make sure I get home to see you, and Mum, and James, Al, Lily, the twins, and Hazel."

She didn't respond because she had fallen asleep on his shoulders. Harry felt his heart dropped when he realized that Iris had cried herself to sleep. He laid her down on the sofa and Ron got up to get a blanket from the trunk.

"Sorry, mate," said Ron, sensing his friend's distress and handing him a quilt.

"I'm not letting anyone or some bombs kill me," said Harry, placing the blanket on Iris and stroking her hair.

"I know mate," said Ron. "And that's why we're bloody dangerous to these leechers."

Harry smiled and yawned. He finally felt tired, and he noticed Ron's eyes drifting. Harry couldn't remember what happened next, but he did drift off to sleep as well.

* * *

_Lily was in the Great Hall. Her father and mother were there battling a man wearing a pale white mask and dark robes. There were many of these villains shouting Unforgiveable Curses and bodies fell like leaves. Among the fallen bodies, Lily found herself crying and huddled in a ball. She looked down but the floor wasn't there and it was black as night. She heard sizzles and booms from the fireworks above her head. She looked up and saw a man that she knew. Before she could respond, a blue light came from his wand and went dark_.

"Lily!" cried Rose.

Lily shot up from her bed, drenched in sweat. She tried to catch her breath and regain a sense of reality around the room.

"You had a dream again," said Rose. These spells of hysteria were common and Lily had had dreams like these since she was three. Despite numerous attempts at finding a root cause for these dreams, nothing could stop them.

Lily rubbed her eyes and saw her mother come into the room, which made Lily blush knowing her cries were loud enough to wake people.

"Sweetheart," said Ginny. "Are you okay?"

Lily sighed when she saw the daylight anyway and realized she didn't have to go back to sleep to see the dangerous world.

"I'm okay Mum," said Lily. "But could I have some tea, please?"

"Of course," said Ginny. "I was going to go make myself a cup. Want to come Rose?"

"I'll be down in a while," said Rose, picking up a book. "I'll just read this for a while."

Lily and Ginny walked down the stairs, with Ginny keeping an eye on Lily as she walked in a daze. Ginny saw her husband, her brother, and middle daughter asleep on the couch. The clock read nine o'clock in the morning and wasn't surprised to see her mother moving about the kitchen. She realized that someone placed a silence charm in the kitchen to let the other members of the house sleep, which made sense after the chaos they experienced at the wedding last night. While her mother made some pancakes and her father read the paper, Hermione was helping Hattie and Hazel with a puzzle.

"Did you sleep alright?" asked Hermione.

"I slept well," said Ginny, kissing Hazel's head. "Lily had a bad dream again."

"A nightmare, Mum," said Lily. "They keep getting worse, even though I know it's a dream."

Ginny gave Lily a cup of tea. "We can always have Luna look into them."

"It's fine, Mum," she said quickly sipping her tea. Lily's godmother was keen at these things, but although Lily loved her godmother she couldn't help but notice how strange she was at times. Hazel looked up from her puzzle, looking calm despite the trauma she experience yesterday evening.

"It's going to happen again, isn't Mummy?" asked Hazel.

"What do you mean, love?" asked Ginny, bewildered at this question.

"No one died yesterday," said Hazel. "When Daddy comes back from a mission, he always says someone died from fighting."

"Does he say that to you?" asked Ginny incredulously, hoping Harry wasn't scaring their children.

"No," said Hazel. "That's what I hear when he talked to Uncle Ron."

Ginny and Hermione looked at each other. What was going to happen next? They had been through something like this once. Could they go through with it again? Hermione stroked Hattie's soft curls, while Ginny hugged both her girls.


	13. Chapter 13

James, Tamsin, Meggie, and Nigel had disapparated to another location after everyone left the Burrow. They decided to meet at Mark It Place, a little meeting area for witches and wizards near Harrods in London. They all slept until eleven o'clock at the Burrow and initially the three guests were going to leave at noon, but Molly Weasley refused to let the young wizards travel back to their houses after the attack and sent Pig to deliver notes to their families letting them know their children were safe. They arrived at the Abbey and ordered tea, since the rule was you had to order something in order to stay in the abbey.

"Who were they?" asked Meggie.

"I don't know," said James. "But we're going to find out soon enough."

Tamsin was trying to concentrate on her tea. Sometimes, tea triggered her soothsaying abilities and she was trying to see if she could get any reading. All of a sudden, Tamsin's eyes went yellow, a sign that she was seeing. Nigel almost spat out his tea when he saw the ghastly shade of yellow in her normally grey eyes.

"Little Whinging…Ottery St. Catchpole…London…Wales…Lanchester…Hogsmeade…"She continued to recite more towns and cities until she blinked once and her eyes changed back to their normal color. "They were all attacked," she said. "I saw the same masks and bombs exactly in the visions." They all sat quietly looking at their teas.

"Pretty much the entire bloody country," said Nigel.

"There are students who live in those areas," said Meggie. "We ought to do something."

"But what?" asked James, feeling slightly hopeless after hearing all.

"We really can't do anything," said Tamsin. "Leave it to your dad, James."

Nigel kept looking at his cup. James noticed that Nigel was deeply immersed in his thoughts. Finally, he raised his eyes towards the three of them and banged his fists against the table.

"What do you mean what the bloody hell are we gonna do?" said Nigel. "Did we not fight those prats yesterday for the first time without any Auror training? Haven't we been preparing for something like this since year three? What do you mean what are we going to do? We are going to fight them and protect those we need to be protected, that's the vow we made our third year."

* * *

_Three Years Earlier…_

Minerva McGonagall could no longer handle the responsibilities of Defense Against the Dark Arts and Headmistress, so she stepped down from the D.A.D.A. teaching position. Instead of the Board of Governors choosing the newest faculty member, the Ministry of Education sent in one of their own - Aberdeen Scroop.

Aberdeen Scroop wasn't much better than Dolores Jane Umbridge in that she did nothing to teach the students anything useful about their powers as wizards and witches. What drove Harry and Ginny mad was the fact that Scroop made the Dark Arts class exclusive, only for people she thought would be good for the class. It happened in the beginning of the foursome's third year, where after two years of basic spells and tactics, every third year took the test term to get a spot in the class. The list was posted in the Great Hall on the second week of the term after a grueling written exam and a Charms Exam. For some students, that meant a grueling period of studying for summer and the first week back to class.

"Bugger," said Nigel, walking with James to the Great Hall after the results were posted. "I completely forgot the spell for immobility. I'm not gonna get in."

"Relax, Nigel," said James. "If you don't get in the first time, Scroop said you can always test again next semester."

"I know, but you heard her saying that missing a semester's worth of DADA is like missing three years! I think my skin's gone clammy, I feel sweaty, maybe I have a fever…"

"C'mon, Nigel," said James, pulling his friend's robes. "Let's go fine the girls."

Tamsin and Meggie had already gotten to the list were waiting in line.

"James! Nigel!" waved Tamsin.

Immediately, James noticed Meggie was beaming and grinning from eye to eye.

"Why so serious?" joked James.

"She had found a way to see her scores for both exams," said Tamsin.

"Both were Outstandings," said Meggie, at a volume louder than she normally spoke. Getting into the class meant the world to Meggie. For the past three years, people told her she wasn't going to get into the class. Scroop had told her that she had no chance as a Muggle; Josiana told her she was too weak to get into the class; even McGonagall, who was Meggie's biggest supporter, wasn't too sure due to Meggie's reserved demeanor. However, with Tamsin's yet-to-be discovered soothsaying abilities, they were able to see the scores after Tamsin convinced Meggie see her exam results.

"Why Meggie Bennett," said James, smiling mischeviously. "I'm shocked that you saw your exams before posted! How uncharacteristically sneaky of you, Miss Bennett."

Meggie blushed slightly. "Well, I was gonna found out eventually, Mr. Potter."

"I'm in!" shrieked a voice they knew well.

Josiana walked by with Marceline and Scarlet right behind her.

"Good luck, James," said Josiana. Until they started dating in their fifth year, Josiana was charming and nice around James and Nigel. However, she was mean to Meggie and Tamsin, but neither had the heart to tell their friend that his crush was really a big bully.

"Thanks, Josiana," said James, blushing slightly.

The giggling girls walked away, leaving Meggie and Tamsin disgusted and Nigel left in the cold.

"Umm…" said the awkward, pudgy thirteen-year-old Nigel. "Hey girls! What about-ow!"

"Knock it off," said Tamsin, slapping the back of his head. "Besides there's an opening!"

The four ran over to the empty space and saw their names…

_Tamsin Pyre…_

_ James Potter…_

_ Nigel Walsh…_

"Where's Meggie?" asked Tamsin, realizing her friend was no longer next to her.

"Her name's…not there." said Nigel.

"That's not fair," said James, feeling his heart dropped slightly. "She worked so hard."

"True, but hard work doesn't change who you are," said Scroop, coming up behind them.

"But why me and not her?" asked Nigel, getting defensive. "I'm the laziest student you'll ever meet!"

"I've heard of your little moments of brilliance, Mr. Walsh. I have best faith in you. Ms. Pyre is a descendant of Ravenclaw and clearly with a gift. And Mr. Potter…well, dare I need to explain?"

"Yes you do," said James, feeling his face go red with anger. "Why isn't she there?"

"Why do you care?" asked Scroop. James felt her beady eyes stabbed him as she looked down at his face. It didn't help that James was still shorter than most professors and that Scroop was as tall and thin as a reed.

"Because she's my friend," said James, struggling to say the last word.

"I see her as boring, dull, and weak," said Scroop. "But other people say kind, shy, and polite. I see that as a death sentence to anyone mastering the Dark Arts."

"She's just as good a witch as anyone," said James, stepping forward to challenge the professor. A crowd of students gathered around to see James fight with the least-popular professor at Hogwarts.

"Nevermind, James," said Tamsin, pulling James back as he approached too close to Scroop's face. "Besides, Meggie can always retake the test later, right?"

Scroop raised her eyebrows and laughed a little. "If a Muggle couldn't pass the test the first time, why do you expect me to give it to her again? Muggles are prone to make mistakes, costly mistakes."

James wanted to pounce at her. He wanted to cut her down like a tree and make her eat her words. Instead of that though, he walked away and began to look for Meggie. Immediately, he remembered where she went when she found out her father left her mother; when she was called a Mudbllod for the first time and realized what it meant; and when a seventh year student levitated her in the air while in her school robes. Meggie was in the courtyard huddled in a little corner, where she would go to get away from people and hide from her shame. James heard her humming to herself, when she did when she was trying not to cry.

"Meggie…" he said, walking towards her.

"Don't!" she said suddenly. "I don't want your pity or sympathy! I shouldn't have been so arrogant or sure of myself. I mean, look at me!" She stood up. "I'm too small, too weak, and too…" Tears began to well in her eyes.

James conjured up a tissue, a trick Teddy taught him to win over girls. Although at this moment, James was more concerned about Meggie's well-being than affection. Meggie smiled and took it, wiping her big brown eyes that were filling with tears.

"It's alright to cry, Meggie," said James. "It shows you're human."

"It shows that I'm a Mudblood…"

"Don't say that, Meggie," said James. "You're more than that silly name."

It was the sweetest thing Meggie had ever James say to anyone.

"She's not going to let me retake it," said Meggie. "She hates Muggles."

James sighed with relief when he didn't have to tell Meggie that part.

"True, but you know, this whole excluding students from a class about learning how to defend one's self has been bugging me for some time. My dad almost punched a wall when he heard about it at work. Even my mum got really angry. Since they can't really change it, I think it's time we changed it."

"We?" asked Meggie, looking at the grin on his face, which she knew was one of mischief.

"You remember that group my dad started in his fifth year? The D.A.?"

"I thought that was shut down after your father left Hogwarts?" asked Meggie.

"Yep," he said. "Well, I think it's time for its resurgence…"

* * *

Nigel stopped before saying the name. Six months ago, Scroop hexed the name so now the students had to resort with the acronym UDA: Underground Dumbledore's Army. There was an impressive silence at the table, even Tamsin thought Nigel's speech was very convincing.

"But how are we going to find these attackers?" asked Meggie. "We don't even know who they are!"

"I'm sure my dad and uncle will be on it," said James. "What's important is to start prepping for the next attack. This was clearly a warning, not meant to hurt anyone. We need to get everyone from the UDA at once to start training for the next big thing. Nigel's right, our duty as UDA members is to protect Hogwarts students and to prepare them for attacks like this."

"Let's meet at my house," said Tamsin, jumping into the conversation. "Mum and Dad are going to Romania soon for a holiday, and they'll be using a Shield Charm on the castle while I'm there."

"How will everyone get there?" asked Meggie. "We'll have to make sure people have access to Floo Powder and those who can disapparated need to disapparated. And when are we meeting? We're going to have to send out notes! Oh dear, there is so much to do…"

James chuckled.

"What?" asked Meggie, giving him a dirty look.

"Nothing, nothing," said James. "It will get done."

Meggie frowned and went back to drinking her tea

"So," said Nigel, clearly his throat. "This is really happening, eh?"

"Of course the meeting is happening," said Tamsin.

"No, I mean, this…war?" asked Nigel. "Innocent civilians were harmed, houses destroyed…are we soldiers now?"

"This is war now," said James. "So yes, we are soldiers who are gonna win this war."


End file.
